Kirsten D. Sikkelee

Kirsten Sikkelee serves as senior project liaison for the Grounds for Change affordable housing development on YWCA’s Park Road campus. This construction development will transform YWCA’s property to become home to 80 units of permanent affordable housing and is expected to be completed in 2026. In Kirsten’s role as chief executive officer, she championed the vision of this project with board and leadership, led the campaign to raise over $7M in private philanthropy to help fund this initiative and has coordinated planning and logistics in preparation for the construction. In her new role as project liaison, Kirsten will work closely with the builder, owner and YWCA leadership to ensure that the operational needs of YWCA programs and constituents are prioritized during construction and that critical services remain fully functional during that period.

Kirsten has had the honor of working at YWCA Central Carolinas since 1994, taking on various programmatic roles throughout her tenure. As program director, Kirsten created Women in Transition (WIT), a transitional housing program with supportive services for unaccompanied women. As chief program officer, she created a similar program for families: Families Together.

From 2009 to 2025, Kirsten led YWCA Central Carolinas as chief executive officer. In that role, Kirsten oversaw the two transitional housing programs for women and families facing homelessness, multiple Youth Learning Centers providing free literacy-based out-of-school programming for students from low-income households, racial justice and advocacy programming to educate and mobilize our community and a coed fitness center. Kirsten is known as a creative and collaborative leader, committed to fostering lasting, positive changes.

Kirsten has a strong history of successful fundraising campaigns supporting YWCA’s mission and programs. In addition to the capital campaign for the affordable housing development, she co-led fundraising for an $8M campaign centered on housing programs, resulting in the construction of 10 townhomes for Families Together and significant renovations for Women in Transition. In 2017, she led a $1M major gift effort to renovate the 1966 locker rooms and improve accessibility for fitness patrons.

Kirsten holds a B.A. in Religion from Davidson College and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. She served as a founding board member of The Plus Collective (formerly Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Fund), past chair of the United Way Council of Agency Executives, past president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Homeless Services Network and past secretary of the Board of Visitors for Davidson College. She lives in Charlotte’s historic Plaza-Midwood neighborhood with her husband, jazz musician Paul Walker.